An Important Indictment

"The officials say they plan to repeatedly make the point -- as they did during the 2004 campaign -- that pre-war intelligence was faulty, it was not manipulated and everyone was working off the same intelligence. . . .

"One senior official said Cheney would not participate in the White House response, despite that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, has accused the vice president of being a key offender in manipulating intelligence."

McClellan's Offensive

There were many heated exchanges at yesterday's compellingly readable press briefing .

Press secretary Scott McClellan was questioned repeatedly and persistently about what sort of exemption the White House is requesting from a proposed congressional ban on torture.

He wouldn't say. And when the journalists in the room wouldn't back off, he lost his cool.

When Hearst columnist Helen Thomas kept interrupting McClellan's talking points and demanding a "straight answer" about the exemption, McClellan shot back: "You don't want the American people to hear what the facts are, Helen, and I'm going to tell them the facts."

After NBC's David Gregory jumped in -- again, asking McClellan to explain why the White House feels an exemption is necessary -- McClellan accused his interlocutors of being, essentially, anti-American.

"Well, obviously, you have a different view from the American people," McClellan said. "I think the American people understand the importance of doing everything within our power and within our laws to protect the American people."

Moments later, he repeated the accusation: "This involves information that relates to doing all we can to protect the American people. And if you have a different view -- obviously, some of you on this room -- in this room have a different view, some of you on the front row have a different view."

At which point CBS News reporter Bill Plante plaintively pointed out: "We simply are asking a question."

Later, when American Urban Radio reporter April Ryan took up the question again, McClellan accused her of "showboating for the cameras" and told her she needed to "calm down."

Surprisingly, there's no outcry in today's coverage over McClellan's tactics. But it does make you wonder how much longer he can trade on his accumulated good will with the press corps.